Peter Windsor provides ‘complicated’ theory about why Lewis Hamilton is struggling with Ferrari’s brakes this season

It has been a mixed start to life at Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton having won his first race for the team in the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint, but was later disqualified in the full race.

Hamilton was over half a second slower than Charles Leclerc in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP, and has progressively finished behind him in races.

Oliver Bearman was closer to Leclerc at the same track, having been parachuted in at the last minute by Ferrari because of Carlos Sainz needing medical attention.

Hamilton’s recent struggles have been attributed to the braking systems and the changes compared to what he had at Mercedes, which he is trying to get used to at Ferrari.

Discussing the change on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor thinks he has a theory on why Hamilton is finding it more difficult with the Ferrari’s braking system this year.

Peter Windsor offers theory on Lewis Hamilton braking problems

The braking systems used by Ferrari are made by Brembo whereas Hamilton has been used to using Carbon Industrie brakes while at Mercedes, which is a slightly different material.

This can affect how a driver approaches braking and using the brake-by-wire systems, which help regenerate the battery through corners. Windsor thinks Hamilton is no longer braking the same way he did when he made his F1 debut in 2007, which goes some way to explaining the problems he’s facing.

“I don’t think he’s braking the way he used to brake in 2007,” said Windsor.

“I think he’s braking in a much more straight line without retardation, and he’s not squeezing the brakes in and out of the brake zones when he used to with the Carbon Industrie. So I think it’s more complicated than just the supplier.”

Is Lewis Hamilton going in the wrong direction compared to Charles Leclerc?

Martin Brundle suggested Hamilton is heading in the wrong direction compared to Leclerc, and his performance in Jeddah only strengthened this theory.

His colleague Karun Chandhok received backlash from Hamilton fans, after he criticised the seven-time world champion for having a difficult weekend in Saudi Arabia.

Hamilton will be under internal pressure at Ferrari to improve results, which marks a dramatic shift in how things panned out during the winter with the sense of anticipation.

Team principal Fred Vasseur has defended Hamilton, while it appears the Briton is hopeful that Ferrari can produce upgrades that make his car easier to drive in the upcoming races.